A Day in May Posting...

Hello there!  

How are you all doing in your part of the world?  

All is well here in New Brunswick, Canada.. 

It is a simply beautiful Spring day here!  

The sun is shining and it is the Sabbath.. 

God has provided and protected us and we are indeed blessed... 

It seems that things are getting better here in our province.. 

Our world has changed not only here but everywhere... 

Terry and I are striving to stay safe and be accountable.. 

While doing this we are really doing less going to and fro and keeping to home and hearth much more then normal.. 

We do go to the farm a bit.. 

Have a few meals ... 

I think he was hungry.  

Sent this pic to our son in Alberta today..

He messaged back.... Good eats!  

Bless his heart!  

This mama wishes he were here so she could do the same for him..

Just pork chops, mashed potatoes and fried sauerkraut.. 

And a salad with homemade dressing.. 

Terry did two buckets of sauerkraut this past winter and it is good!

Old fashioned meals!

smile.. 

  

Trying to get our gardens organized and ready.. 

It has been quite cool here right now but this week is forecasting higher temps.. 

We were out the other day and I did my herb beds.. 

It always tickles me silly to see my Lavender plants all back for the second year and some for the third.. 

The Lovage, Comfrey, Oregano, Chives, Catnip, Thyme and Tarragon are a few that always return... 

Our garlic came up lovely also.. 

Thanking the Lord.. 

There were several that I had put in pots and wintered and they survived.. 

Rosemary, Sage, Parsley, more Thyme and I repotted 7 pots of Basil today... 

Can ya tell that I love herbs? grin.. 

Anyway on with the post.. 

Winding down one evening on our way home.. 

We worked on the beds and just had a quick lunch.. 

Terry's version of a hot dog.. 

And mine of soup... 

This is a lovely soup.. 

Or I think so.. 

It is called Emergency Soup by Marion Cunningham.. 

It is in this cookbook.. 

1 chopped carrot

1 chopped rib of celery

1 chopped medium onion 

4 cups of chicken broth.. 

1 cup of small shell or other type pasta 

1 cup Parmesan cheese.. or less  

Bring broth to boil in a pot.  Add veggies and 

simmer for 15 minutes and then add pasta.. 

Simmer another 10 minutes or less till pasta is cooked.. 

Season with salt and pepper.  

Serve and sprinkle on some parm.. 

Delicious and quick.. 

We haven't moved out to the farm yet for the summer.. 

Probably be a bit yet but when I can I potter a bit in the pantry.. smile.. 

As you know we have been celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary in a rather different style.. 

We planned this before Covid-19 really was a threat.. 

We started in January and trying to do some form of celebration each month.. 

I am not a party person.. Well, not for myself I mean.. 

So .. 

Each month had brought some sort of fun thing to do.. 

I am always so happy to go to the Bay of Fundy.. 

So last month we went to the world famous Rocks.... 

It was mostly closed off but we found a wonderful area with a bench right at the beach's edge.. 

It was a lovely day! 

I brought this guy along.. smile.. 

With his covid whiskers.. grin.. 

We didn't attempt a selfie this time as we did the last one.. 

Just one of each other.. 

As you dear girls know who have been around awhile that I do not like my pic taken.. Anyway.. We need pics to remember.. smile.. Not really.. smile.. 

Another lovely place down there .. 

Antiques shop.. 

Miss them and thrift stores.. 

That is all.. 

I am so weird.. grin.. 

And these were my lovely flowers.. 

Aren't they gorgeous? 

And the ruffled ones smelt heavenly.. 

I had to add this pic of my beloved with no whiskers.. 

Our daughter looks just like him.. smile.. 

Now onward we go.. 

A few make and do things.. 

Lavender and Rose Air Freshener.. 

More Sanitary Wipes.. So great! 

And I love the Hair Rinse.. Lavender and Cider Vinegar.. 

And.. 

A new note book.. 

Covered a steno pad for my daily list book for May... 

Have done a bit more I think but sorry no pics.. 

Making buntings for here at home and such.. 

Oh and the dearest egg cups with sprouts growing.. 

Actually, I will try to take a pic later on in the week and just post them.. 

How's that?  grin.. 

No long posting... Just a few pics.. 

As usual.. I just keep rambling.. 

Here is a bit of baking that got accomplished.. 

NY Times No Knead Bread... 

And picked Dandelion greens a few times.. 

The Rhubarb is coming along nicely so jam has to be made this week.. 

It is our favourite... 

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Walnuts were baked and  frozen once again.. 

I love these so have to freeze them! smile.. 

And a cake.... 

Love white cake with white icing.. 

Yes, it found it's way to the freezer also!  

And one windy rainy day I made biscuits.. 

Our daily biscuit.. The recipe is on the blog here.. 

And with Rhubarb Jam.. 

That recipe is on here too.. 

My Mom's Rhubarb Jam..  

HERE ..

We had Mother's Day.. 

Met some of our family carside at the mall.. 

Smile... 

Love my children as you do your's... smile.. 

Hope you all enjoyed your day.. 

I didn't want to close without adding a pic of a book I am reading.. 

Rather nice.. 

I love the old days.. smile. 

Well dear hearts, I hope this has found you all safe and finding joy in your days.. 

It is something we choose.. eh!

In this rock and roll world we are living in right now I think we need to focus on a daily closer walk with our Lord.. 

As the Psalmist says...

 He is the lifter up of my head.. 

Everything is going to be all right!  

So thank you so much for visiting tonight and may God richly bless you.. 

as always, I look forward to your dear notes and emails and Facebook messages.. 

God bless.. 

HUGS!!

The last part of June...

Hey there everyone... 

Happy Canada Day!  

And a lovely one it is here in New Brunswick.. 

A bit hot but I am not complaining! smile... 

We have had such a cold Spring that we are all welcoming the heat wave, I think.

Hope all is well in your part of the world and am so happy you dropped by for a few minutes... 

Just a post of a few things we have been doing.. 

Last week we went to the farm for a couple of days.. 

Trying to get through the mayhem of the selling of our places in St. Martins.. 

Accomplished quite a lot.. 

Have the kitchen pretty well cleared and the pantry almost finished.. 

While we were there the second day I made dinner.. 

I think a lot of us Maritimers still cook according to Marilla's Table.. 

In the last post I posted of a culinary class in P. E. I. and it was just down home food, really.. 

One of the dishes I grew up with was called Codfish Gravy.. 

Nowadays, I use whatever fish we happen to have.. This was actually Sole... 

It is just a white sauce with fish fillets and I usually add a bit of shrimp or scallops unless it is actually cod... 

A sprinkle of chili pepper flakes and some chopped herbs.. 

We always serve it over mashed potatoes... 

Notice the new cut on my carrots.. grin.. 

And a simple cucumber salad.. 

Nothing fancy but good for a rainy day there.. 

My rhubarb was getting away on me so took a couple days and preserved some..  

A Rhubarb Cordial type of juice... 

Pour a bit into glasses with ice and top with Sprite or Soda water.. 

Very refreshing and with it canned it will keep all winter.. 

Lovely for punch, also... 

Then I had to try out a new BBQ sauce.. 

This was so good that I made 2 batches of it.. 

Terry ate half of a bottle instead of just having it on the meat.. smile.. 

A lovely plant that Trevor and family gave me for Mother's Day is so pretty this morning that I had to take a pic... 

The rain the last few days has really perked the outside plants up... 

Love my inside plants, too...

Geraniums in the living room... 

And this huge one in the spare room on the window seat.. 

When we move to the farm I will put them on the deck out there... 

I didn't post the pics we took of our day trip to the Fundy Trail with our friends from Arkansas... 

St. Martins is as beautiful as ever.. 

And the Fundy Trail is amazing.. 

You cannot imagine the rock they had to get through to make this beautiful drive.. 

And the hills were a bit scary for my friend.. 

We are used to it as we try to visit every summer once at least.. 

Love the Bay of Fundy and when we get to the farm we will only be a half hour away once again... 

Received some pics and recipes from the Table in my email this week of the classes we took.. 

I am learning the chopping skills right here.. 

Must have been concentrating... 

Anyway, dear hearts that is about all for today.. 

Although I do want to mention that it is our youngest son's birthday!  

This is one of my fave pics of him.. 

It was taken several years ago.. 

With dear old Sammie.. 

Dustin lives out west now and we couldn't really share the day with him except through calls and texting... 

We are so thankful for this dear son of ours.. 

He is such a blessing and we all love him so much... 

He does read my blog or at least look at the pics so I wanted to wish him Happy Birthday here, too... smile.. 

Thank God everyday for our sweet family... 

And thank you sweet friends for your visits and comments.. 

I love hearing from you and on Face Book page I try to comment back.. 

If you have a question I will try to answer it here.. 

To be honest it is easier on FB because I can do it through my tablet.. 

Here I have to get on my laptop and it is a pesky thing as if I move it turns off sometimes.. grin.. 

I should get a new one someday but I love this one as I am so used to it.. 

Anyway my friends have a lovely weekend and may God bless and keep you and your families... 

xo

Enjoying the basics....

Hello Dearies... 

I promised I would post the recipe for a new bread that I tried out and so here I am... smile.. 

Terry and I spent the day at the farm again yesterday.. 

The weather right now is so great for him to get outside chores done up there... 

As for me I always find lots to do.. 

I rearranged the kitchen... 

I know ...

 I should have taken some pics.. 

It is a small kitchen there and very basic, believe me.. 

A vintage one shall we say.. 

Terry had taken the old chimney out a few years ago and bought a new one but has not installed it yet.. 

It looks very unsightly and I tried to cover it up by placing the old china cupboard in the corner..

 It only covered about three quarters of it and you can still see it at the top.. sigh.. 

 Then as there is  not much counter space I decided to drag another enamel topped table in and see what I could do with that.. 

I think it was a good idea but now I need to get a few things from the shop to fix it up a bit more.. 

Some old crocks and stools and such..

Oh well.. another time.. 

I had been into Chapters and noticed a wonderful new book called 5 minute Breads or some such name.. 

It cost $35.00 here in Canada so I just sort of thumbed through it.. 

It looks wonderful to tell you the truth.. 

Anyway... 

There was a whole chapter on Peasant Breads.. 

Sound interesting? 

I thought so and noticed one that was a lot like the no knead one that we make .. 

I scrutinized the amounts of ingredients and thought I may as well give it a try.. 

Here it is mixed up... 

That only took probably 4 minutes or so.. 

Then you just let it rise for an hour or two.. 

And make a peasant loaf and let it rise again...

Cut a cross  in it and bake it... 

Voila.... smile...

I did not use their method but used the basic No Knead Rosemary Bread way that I make all of the time.. 

It is HERE...

Anyway... Here is my version of..

NO KNEAD PEASANT BREAD.. 

2 cups of warm water 

1 T. sugar

2 1/2 tsp. instant yeast

4 cups of unbleached flour

2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups of 12 grain flour

Let yeast rise for a few moments and then stir in white flour 2 cups at a time stirring after each addition..

Add the grain flour and salt

Stir well again and cover and rise in a warm no draft spot.. 

(inside your oven is a great spot..)

Let rise until doubled.. 

With oiled hands roll into a round loaf while oiling the dough.. 

I used olive oil.. 

I placed my bread in a greased round cake pan as I had no cookie tin and I think it helped to keep a good shape.. 

When it is high enough cut a cross with a sharp knife.. 

Sprinkle on a bit of flour on top and bake at 375 degrees F. for about 35 - 40 minutes.... 

If you try this let me know how you like it.. 

Next time I hope to use rye and whole wheat flour for another kind of peasant bread... 

The afternoon slipped away and I made our supper.. 

We love our salads...

Then we had a bit of rubbed herb chicken breasts... 

Some of our homegrown squash and mashed potatoes... 

Just basic food, my dears... 

After Terry had put the ladders away and I had finished the dishes we headed back home... 

Just in time to light a candle or two and make a nice cup of tea... 

Life is a very basic thing here in the Maritimes of Canada... 

Just down home stuff like old farms, peasant bread, meat and potatoes... 

Then we settle down for the evening with a nice hot cup of tea and end the day with a thankful heart for all of the wonderful blessings bestowed upon us for another day... 

Gotta love it... 

Thanks for visiting.. 

Welcome to the new followers.. 

Love having you all along for the ride.. 

You guys are awesome.. 

xo

Oh.. I had some darling company today.. 

One of our grandsons came for a visit and we made some Preserved Salted Lemons.. 

Stop in tomorrow and I will tell you about it.. 

And I made a woolie owl... 

Maybe it will be finished...

Later...

An October Day Farm Field Trip....

Hello everyone.. 

So glad you all dropped by.. 

Just wondering if you would like to take a wee field trip up to our old farm with us..

We decided to spend the day up there yesterday.. 

Come along... 

It is a beautiful day here in New Brunswick.. 

As you can see it is a rural part where we live.. 

If you look really hard you can see the windmills that are past our farm...

Way over at the top of those hills.. 

Just winding along the old country roads...

We are getting closer... 

The hills are getting higher.. smile..

Yes, here is our brook....

And here is the dear old place...

As always, there is a nice breeze blowing the flag.. 

The flags only last a few months as the wind is quite something up here.. 

Anyway.. 

We unload some stuff and Terry heads outside to do some work.. 

After cleaning some I decide to bake something for him for a surprise... 

Aunt Eva's old pastry board is built into the cupboards...

I wonder how many times her dear hands have performed the same chore as the morning sun streams through the kitchen window... 

She was a wonderful cook.. 

People came for miles to have one of her famous meals...

Well, there you go my love... 

Apple Dumplings... 

With a bit of butterscotch sauce.. 

He kept smiling and I asked him what was so funny... 

He says... "Oh you and your surprises!"... grin.. 

Then since we are celebrating our first real day here we are also having a steak... 

Done farm style... 

In a cast iron fry pan with onions... 

Would you dear girls set the table for me?  smile.. 

We will use the little green saucers for the beet salad.. 

Would you like the recipe?.. 

So simple and good for your gall bladder or so Elsie tells me.. 

I loved the taste.. 

Beet Salad.. 

Grate or chop up one raw beet.. 

Add 2 T. flax oil  *I used olive.. 

juice of 1/2 of a lemon.. 

salt and pepper.. 

 I added some parsley ..

After lunch someone laid down on the old couch for a nap....

And someone else looked through the bookshelves and looked at guess what?

Recipe books.. Old ones.. smile..

And from my Bible that my Mom and Dad gave me on my 33rd birthday.. 

A long time ago, eh? 

Then he worked outside some more and I cleaned.. 

It has been a few months since we have spent any time here.. 

Anyway my dears I hoped you enjoyed your day as much as we have.. smile.. 

Time to go back home, though...

The sun has set pretty well and old Sammi is tired out.. 

So blessed... 

Did you know that God can make something beautiful out of your life?.. 

We sang that on Sunday and I thought of the miracle in our own lives.. 

A messed up home and messed up lives turned into something beautiful with God's grace and mercy.. 

All these years  we could have been torn asunder  but instead because of God we have had a  blessed life together..

Thank you, dear Jesus,,,

Have a wonderful day, my friends..

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